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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. key — in music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. key — for a lock
  22. swing — music
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. fork — a garden tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com